Dr. Hedaya has an extremely rare combination of skills–board-certified in neurology and psychiatry, as well as a very strong background in endocrinology. Our son was assessed by a variety of physicians at very prestigious institutions (and many private doctors) on the west coast but they were not able to figure out what was wrong with him. He was a very smart and social kid but grew lethargic, mentally foggy, and presented with a complex set of symptoms that no one could definitively pin down. By the end of high school, he was not able to sleep (severe insomnia) let alone attend school or socialize, which in turn triggered severe depression, anxiety and suicidal feelings. We had tried countless medications which often only made the symptoms worse. We flew from CA to DC to meet with Dr. Hedaya. His intake was at least 3 hours and at a level of detail that we had not experienced with anyone else. He really listened, and it was clear that he cared about my son’s dire situation. The resulting report and diagnosis was over 20 pages long and included a very comprehensive treatment plan. Our son had severe thyroid issues, Lyme’s and a host of other issues that were all contributing to his poor health. NO ONE had been able to figure this out. Fast forward about 7 months our son is now living at college, taking 3 classes, has friends, is involved in clubs and activities, and no longer talking about suicide. We still have some work to do to get him all the way back to his old self, but it’s clear we’ve turned the corner and that we are on the right track.
In response to a few of the negative comments, I would like to add my two cents here– in terms of the cost, you do need to understand that it is indeed an expensive process. I happen to be a medical professional myself so perhaps I have some insight into why this is so. Insurance companies look at an office visit as a 5 -15-minute appt. Their reimbursement rates to their in-network and out-of-network physicians reflect this. There is no way a child with the complex history that mine had, that one could even scratch the surface with a few minutes for the intake, let alone the ongoing follow-up appointments. Secondly, there are many expensive tests that insurance companies won’t pay for or are very cutting edge–typical doctors therefore don’t know/use them, and that’s why they miss so much. For us, there are indeed a lot of medications and supplements to coordinate, as has been mentioned. But it works, so you do what you need to do, in order to recover your health. So, you should expect that this will be an expensive and perhaps time-consuming process, yes, but I’m guessing that you wouldn’t be considering going to Dr. Hedaya unless your family member had already gone to in-network/local doctors and not had the improvements you wanted. He is in a league above your usual doc, so you get what you pay for.
Lastly, we’ve found Dr. Hedaya’s bedside manner to be extremely supportive, caring, and thoughtful. He’s a very nice guy. He’s got a depth of knowledge and life experience that is extraordinary and well-worth the travel for us to see him. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate for having found him. He likely has saved our son’s life. We highly recommend him and his clinic. (Very nice staff also!)
